Run
by Reynutocx
Summary: Leo can't stay anywhere long. None of the foster homes feel like home. Nico wants to stop running. All he wants is is sister back. Set in the Battle of the Labyrinth. *Edit* Hmm, look at this a period piece. I really don't want to delete it. I was pretty much writing nothing but fluff at the time and just needed to balance it out with something.
1. New Home, New Freind

**AN: This is going to be pretty short, so expect daily updates. Run turned out darker then I originally intended, but I still think it's worth sharing. I hope you enjoy it.**

Leo sat down on his new bed and looked around his room. He could tell he wasn't going to be here for long. To be fair, it wasn't his new foster parents' fault. They seemed like nice people, they'd have to be to take in a kid like him, but it wasn't about them. Leo just couldn't stay in one place for too long. He was constantly moving even if it was just a shaking leg or fidgeting hands. Leo knew he was ADHD, but he'd never been put on medication for it.

Now, just sitting on the bed, Leo felt the urge to jump out of the window and start running. He knew he could disappear. He'd done it before and he was sure he could do it again. He run countless times, and completely eluded the police for days. They didn't really like him anymore. Leo didn't mind; the feeling was mutual. He was in their book as one of the frequent runaways.

He'd been told this time, that it was his last chance. _"Yeah, right,"_ he thought. It had been his last chance the last three times. To be honest, everyone was at a loss as to what to do with him. Leo could escape from just about anywhere. It was easy for him to wire something up or build some sort of escape device. Leo, himself, wasn't sure why he was running. All he knew was he didn't feel like he belonged anywhere.

Then again, Leo supposed that he didn't deserve to feel that way. He may only be thirteen, but he was already a monster. It was his fault that his mom had died that night so long ago. He knew he should have listened to her. Fire was a dangerous tool, one that Leo could never get away from. Leo looked at his hands. They were the same ones that had started the fire that night in the workshop. They'd sent sparks flying, shot flame everywhere, burned the building to the ground, and the worst part was that Leo had enjoyed it. He felt like he was finally doing right. Somehow using his secret powers had felt like what he was born to do. That was what had terrified him the most. Leo couldn't control himself and other people paid the price. He'd never meant to hurt his mom; he'd been trying to save her, but he had screwed up.

Leo wanted to tear his hands off and just be done with it all. He was already a grade A freak what did it matter anyway? Leo half expected them to grow back anyway. It was possible. He was already immune to fire; it wasn't that far of a stretch.

Leo put his face in his hands. He wished he could block out his constant line of thought. The best he could do was hide it from other people. Instead they saw him a goofy kid who wasn't serious about anything. That was the image Leo wanted to project. It was the better half of him. The other half was too damaged for anyone else to see. No one knew about, and Leo wanted to keep it that way. He didn't anyone else to have to go through what he was going through, because it sucked. Understatement of the year there. Leo laid back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. There was a crack right over his head. Maybe, it was due to water damage, maybe it was just an old house Leo wasn't sure. He decided that whatever the reason, it was kind of sad to see the white wall with such an ugly scar on it. Leo closed his eyes and tried to forget about it and everything else going on in his messed up life.

* * *

All Nico could hear was his ragged breathing and footstep as he ran down the dark passageway. He had no idea how many days he'd been down here, or even where here was. He'd been running through the woods back at Camp Half Blood trying to get away from Percy Jackson and had stumbled into this underground maze thing. Ever since he'd been down here, things had been trying to kill him left and right. Nico didn't have anything to defend himself with, unless Mythomagic cards counted, and had been reduced to running from everything he couldn't kill with a rock to the head.

Nico legs gave out from under him and he fell to the floor banging his head hard on the cold stone under him. He let out a small whimper, but didn't cry out. He didn't want anything else to hear him. He wouldn't be able to run away from it. He'd been running without hardly any food or water for days now. Every now and then, he'd come across a spring or something, but Nico knew he wouldn't be able to keep going like this. He was going to need to find a way out of here and soon.

Nico rose to a sitting position, but couldn't bring himself to stand up. He was tired. Whatever that had been chasing him seemed to be gone now. It had apparently thought that Nico hadn't been worth the effort of chasing. It seemed to be an overlaying theme lately. Nobody thought he was good enough to be told anything even when it was that his own sister had died. Nico wished he could see her again. She was all the family he had had, and now she was gone. It was all Percy Jackson's fault.

Percy was the first demigod Nico had met and he'd instantly been in awe of him. Nico had loved Greek mythology for as long as he could remember, which was only about a year, but that was another story. When he had learned about this whole other part of the world where the gods were still alive and monsters roamed across the earth, Nico had been entranced. He'd wanted to know anything about this new world and Percy had explained some of it to him, although he's been kind of busy at the moment. Nico had really grown to like Percy, maybe more than he'd like to admit, so when Bianca had gone off on a quest, Percy was the person Nico had turned to in order keep his sister safe. He'd thought that with Percy's protection, she'd be safe. Percy had seemed cable of anything, but he'd come back alone.

Nico wasn't sure how to feel about him now. He, of course, blamed Percy for Bianca's death. Percy had even admitted that he let her die. That made Nico hate him. He'd taken away the person he cared most about in the world. There was no way he was ever going to forgive him for what he'd done. On the other hand, he still liked Percy, which just made Nico himself hate himself more. All in all, he was angry, confused, and all alone.

He might had sat there for hours deliberating with himself about the unfairness of it all, but Nico was interrupted by an ethereal light emanating from a stop a couple feet in front of him. His tiredness forgotten, Nico picked up the rock he'd dropped and approached it carefully. Inside the glow, Nico could make out the form of an old man in a Greek toga. He was a ghost.

"Nico di Angelo," it spoke in a spidery voice that sounded as if the speaker had long since lost the habit of talking to people.

Nico's legs were telling him to run, but he ignored them. He was tired of running from everything he met. "How do you know my name?" he asked. He sounded a lot braver than he felt.

The ghost smiled slightly sinisterly, but Nico pretended not to notice. "I know many things about you, Nico di Angelo. Some of them you do not know yourself."

"What do you want?"

"To help you, Nico. You command the spirits after all. I can help you unlock your full potential."

"And why would you want to do that?" Nico asked suspiciously.

The ghost smiled again. "I'm merely here to help you. I think you'll be interested in some of the things I can teach you."

"Like what?" Nico asked curious in spite of himself.

"I can teach you how to bring your sister back."


	2. Nightmares and a Ghost

**AN: I apologize for my Spanish in this chapter. It's not my first language and I only speak it little. I originally had a lot more than the small amount I used, but didn't want to embarrass myself more than I already had. Please, if it's wrong, tell me and I'll correct it.**

"Mom!" Leo shouted.

Esperanza Valdez turned and smiled at her son. "I'll be right back, mijo."

"No!" Leo shouted after her, but his voice caught in his throat. He had to stop this. His mom was about to go back in the workshop. She was going to get locked in. the earth lady was going to turn up and Leo was going to burn the workshop down. Esperanza wasn't going to make it out.

"Mom!" Leo shouted as he kept running. Where had she gone? She was right in front of him a second ago. Leo ran through the dark rooms searching everywhere.

"Where are you, Mom?" he called out frantically into the dark but no one answered. The hallways seemed to stretch on for miles. Leo was running out of time. His mom was going to get locked in at any moment and then everything was going to go to hell.

Leo had to act. He picked a hallway and sprinted down it. As he ran, he could hear him mom's voice faintly. Yes! She was ok. Leo could get to her in time. He turned the corner and came almost ran into a steel door. He could hear his mom's screams on the other side.

Leo panicked. He could tell that his mom was on the other side of the door and that she was in pain.

"Mom!" he screamed as he pounded on the door, but it remained shut. It seemed to be locked. Leo wasn't sure if his mom could even hear him, but he began tapping on the wall in Morse code _. "Are you ok? Are you ok? Are you ok?"_ he tapped over and over again, but he got no response. Leo tried to pry the door open, and that was when he noticed the heat coming off from the door. It kept on getting hotter and hotter the more that Leo tied to open. Leo was terrified. It was happening again! His mom was all alone in there and burning up again and Leo could do nothing to stop it.

All reason abandoned him, and Leo attacked the door over and over again screaming at it to give his mom back, but it didn't budge. Leo kept pounding and scratching at it until his hands were bruised and bloody, but still it wouldn't open. All the while, it kept getting hotter and hotter. It drove Leo crazy. All he could think about was his mom burning.

He rammed his body into the door, and it suddenly gave way. Leo fell to the ground inside the room. The walls were on fire and the air was heavy with smoke. Esperanza stood with her back to Leo on the other side of the room.

"Mom!" Leo yelled running to her. "We have to get out of here! This place is gonna burn up!" He grabbed her hand, but she wouldn't move.

"Why didn't you come, mijo?" she asked quietly.

"I did come," Leo said confused. "I'm right here, Mom. Now please, we need to go." He tried to leave again, but Esperanza still wouldn't come along.

"Why didn't you save me?" she asked and slowly turned to face Leo. Her body was entirely burned and covered in ashes. She took a step towards him, and small bits of skin fell off her face and fell to the floor with a sickening squishing sound.

"You did this to me," Esperanza Valdez said taking another step closer to her son.

"I'm sorry," Leo tried to explain. He could feel tears on his cheeks as he saw what had become of his mom. 'It was an accident! I never meant to…" but he couldn't finish his explanation. It was his fault.

Esperanza looked at him sadly. She tried to say something else, but her mouth seemed not to work anymore. She reached out a burned hand towards Leo.

"What is it?" Leo asked taking her hand in his. She may be a burned ghost, but she was still his mom, and Leo loved her more than anything in the world. Esperanza didn't say anything, her face contorted in pain and she turned into ashes and dissolved right in Leo's hands.

"Mom!" Leo called out. He looked around and saw the earth lady from before him instead. Leo felt a rushing in his ears and he launched himself at her. She'd done this. She'd manipulated him into starting the fire that night. She'd ruined his life. She'd made him hate himself for years. She'd taken his mom away.

"Where's my mom?!" Leo screamed at her completely all coherent thought completely thrown out the window. Through the mindlessness, one thought was clear; she'd done this. She was powerful to do anything. She could get his mom back." What have you done with her?!" Leo punched her over and over again with his bruised hands, but she only smiled at him. Which infuriated him more. Why did she do this to him? Did she have to ruin his life? Did she just enjoy watching people suffer? Leo wanted her to suffer as much as he had. "Give her back!"

Leo woke with a start in his bed still screaming. His foster mom opened the door awakened by his screams.

"Leo?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

But Leo was upset to think straight. He hated these nightmares. They made everything so hard to forget. He felt like he was eight years old again.

"Quiero mi mama," he said quietly before realizing that he was talking in Spanish. Thankfully his foster mom didn't so she didn't know what he'd been screaming in his sleep.

"Leo, honey, are you ok?" she asked sitting down next to him on the bed.

Leo forced himself to smile at her. "Yeah, I'm good." he said trying to sound light hearted. "It was just a nightmare. I get them sometimes. It's nothing."

* * *

"What do you mean "You can teach me how bring my sister back"?" Nico asked. He didn't trust this ghost very much. If there was a way to resurrect the dead, Nico felt like more people would be using it.

The ghost sighed theatrically making Nico scowl. He wasn't into wasting time with being dramatic. "You have the power, Nico. You must accept yourself as a son of Hades."

Nico scoffed. It was unlikely he was going to be accepting himself about _anything_ anytime soon. He could live with the self-hatred.

"Say I do," Nico started carefully. "How would I bring Bianca back?"

"It's similar to talking to spirits; it requires sacrifice, but something more important than a simple meal." The ghost explained.

"Talking to spirits?" Nico said his curiosity getting the best of him again.

The ghost nodded. "Yes, among other things. There are so many things you can do if only you let me teach you. I'm sure you already realized that, though."

Nico recalled the skeleton warriors that had attacked him right before he left. Percy had said that they were unstoppable, but Nico had managed to open a pit and send them all tumbling down it by simply telling them to go away. That had been unharnessed power. This ghost claimed to be able to teach him how to control his powers. If there was even a slight chance he could get Bianca back, Nico was going to try it. Besides, he couldn't go back to Camp Half Blood. He didn't belong there and there were no other children of Hades to teach him anything.

"Alright," Nico decided. "I'll let you train me."

The ghost smiled sinisterly again. "A wise choice Nico di Angelo."

Nico nodded. He felt like this was the right choice. At least, now, he wouldn't be alone anymore. As much as Nico liked his privacy, he knew that he needed help from someone for now. Just until he got Bianca back. Then he could go on his own.

"What's your name?" Nico asked.

"I was once called King Minos," the ghost answered.

Normally Nico would have been very interested in him and told him all about his role in Mythomagic and how many hit points he had (704, but -20 if he was going up against the Minotaur. He was from the special mortal figures expansion deck), but Nico had changed in the last few days. He no longer saw the world as a big game.

"How do I bring Bianca back?" Nico asked.

"Patience, Nico," Minos said. "All with be made clear to you in due time."

"Tell me now," Nico said annoyed. "And don't call me Nico." It just sounded creepy when Minos said his name, especially since he hadn't told him what it was.

Minos sighed. "I can give you a rough outline, my lord."

"My lord?" Nico asked.

"You said you didn't want to be called by your name." Minos explained.

Nico glared slightly, but he didn't object to the name. "Tell me."

Minos floated a little closer to Nico making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He was sure he would, in time, get used to Minos, but he was very unsettling at the moment.

"A soul for a soul," Minos whispered.

Nico was still confused. "What?" he asked. "Explain."

"Certainly, my lord. In order to return a soul back to the living realm, you need to replace it with a soul of someone else who has cheated death. Percy Jackson perhaps?"

Nico shook his head. "No, not...not him." He wasn't quite sure how to feel about Percy, but Nico knew that he didn't want to kill him. If he did that, he'd have _no one_ to live for.

Minos raised a ghostly eyebrow.

"His soul is not worthy," Nico lied. "If I'm going to get Bianca back, I'm going to do it the right way."

"Very well, my lord," Minos said. "I'll be in touch, but until then, please accept this gift."

Something small seemed to fall out of the air and Nico caught it before he decided he wanted it at all. He held it out to look at it in the light emanating from Minos. It was a ring, a black ring with a silver skull carved into it.

"I…" Nico wasn't sure what to say. It was a nice ring, but he didn't really want to wear something so macabre. Nico wasn't really into death. He'd been able sense souls when he learned about his dad, but that didn't mean he liked it. He shouldn't be doing any of this. He should be going to middle school, maybe joining the gaming club. He should still be with Bianca.

"Accept your role," Minos told him. "You are a son of Hades."

Nico hesitated for a moment and then, very slowly, he nodded. Minos was right. He did need to face himself at least about this. With the power that came with it, Nico could do almost anything. He already wasn't accepted at Camp Half Blood. What did it matter if he went darkside? Everyone already thought he was evil. He might as well live up to his reputation. He looked at the skull on the ring. This was who he was now; an outcast, a monster, an avenger, a freak of nature. Nico braced himself, closed his eyes, and slid the ring on his finger.

He opened his eyes and focused on Minos's blurry image.

"I'm ready."


	3. Underground

Leo was pretending to be asleep. He'd managed to calm down enough the convince his foster mom that he was ok, and she'd gone back to bed. Leo hadn't even bothered with trying to go back to bed. He didn't want to be here anymore. He was leaving. Tonight. Hey, at least he was all packed already. Leo tried not to think about the nightmare, but it wasn't easy. It one was a pretty common one for him, but it didn't make it any easier to get through. Leo hated that his mind wasn't his when he slept.

Leo strained his ears for any sort of sound. Hearing nothing, he very carefully got out of bed and got dressed in the dark. He grabbed his duffle bag where he'd put all of this stuff and opened his window slowly. He removed the screen and stepped out onto the roof. It was a windy night and Leo felt his army jacket flap around him, but he wasn't scared. He knew he wouldn't fall. He was a pro at this by now.

Leo crept across the roof looking for a way down to the ground. His room was only on the second floor, so he didn't have a long way to go. He didn't see a safe path to the ground, so Leo took a rope out of his duffle bag and tied it around the chimney. He would have to leave it behind, but, hopefully, he be so far gone it wouldn't matter. He climbed down the rope and dropped the last few feet to the ground.

Leo crossed the yard and unlocked the gate slipping outside. Finally, he was free. Leo felt a great weight lifted from him as he started off down the street. He liked to be moving around on his own especially at night. Leo loved to look up at all the stars. His favorite constellation was in the vague shape of girl with a bow running. Leo had never noticed it before last winter, but he'd immediately liked it. Leo also liked the darkness that came along with the night. It somehow made him feel braver. Leo could imagine himself as or a superhero or something when we was running around at night. It made him feel important.

Of course, the truth wasn't as glamorous. Leo spent most of his time avoiding the cops by hiding in trash cans, sewers, and the like. Still, it was better than living in any other the foster homes the state had picked out for him.

Leo smiled up at the sky as he walked down the road. He had no idea where we was going, but that was what made him the happiest. He walked quickly down the rest of the street and turned at the corner so no one would be able to see him from his foster home. Leo kept on walking for a few more hours until he was out of the suburbs and into the city. It was far less busy than it was during the day. Hardly anyone else was out to pay attention to the small boy with the duffel bag in his hands.

Leo wished that he could look around a little, but he knew he had to find a place to hide before the police started looking for him. _"It would be so much easier,_ Leo thought _"if I had a car,"_ That way he'd be able to get really far away instead of being contained to walking or public transport. One time, he had managed to get three states away before he'd been found. Leo was especially proud of that time.

Spying a likely looking alleyway, Leo set off down it until he found what he was looking for. Yes! Jackpot! Leo found a manhole that lead down to sewer. Of course it was screwed on tight and wasn't meant to be able to be opened by regular people, but it wasn't even close to being Leo proof. Leo kept as many tools in his bag at all times just for times like these. He pulled a screwdriver out of his bag and began work on the manhole. After a few minutes of concentration, Leo had managed to completely unscrew the manhole. He gripped it with his hands and pulled upward. It didn't budge.

"Man, that's really stuck on there," Leo grunted as he strained to pull up the cover of the manhole. It was times like these he wished he'd been granted super strength instead of fire powers. Leo was, in his opinion, far too weak. Maybe one of these days he'd hit up a gym, but that would have to be after he was safely escaped.

Finally Leo managed to pry up the manhole and was relieved to see a set of runs meant for climbing down. Leo grabbed his bag and lowered himself into the manhole. There was plenty of room for a skinny kid like him. Leo carefully replaced the cover and continued on his way down in the dark. It took him a few seconds to reach the bottom, but when he did, Leo was relieved to feel rather than see that it was dry. It smelled terrible, but at least he wasn't knee deep in sewage. All in all, it could be worse.

Leo fumbled with his bag and pulled out a flashlight and shone it down the dark, long, passageway. Time to start walking!

* * *

"Are you sure there's an exit here?" Nico asked Minos as the two of them walked down the halls in the labyrinth. Minos had told Nico that's what it was. Apparently this was the same labyrinth that Daedalus had created millennia ago. Why there had been an entrance at Camp Half Blood Nico didn't know, but it certainly fit.

"It's just a little way farther, my lord," Minos answered.

Nico hoped it was. He was getting more and more drained the longer he was in the labyrinth both physically and mentally. Nico was constantly on edge. Monsters and traps were around every corner and Nico was sure that the only reason he had been killed yet was dumb luck. Dying in the labyrinth would be a fitting end end for him though. A son of Hades dies underground forgotten and is never found. That sounded about right to Nico.

Nico's thoughts about his own death were interrupted by a far away sound. It sounded like footsteps. Nico was instantly alert. he gripped the rock in his hand tighter and motioned for Minos to come closer to him.

"There's something here," he whispered. "A monster?"

"It could be a number of things," Minos answered.

Nico gulped and clutched the rock a little tighter. He didn't want to run for hours in order to get away from the whatever-it-was, and he didn't like his chances in a fight.

"My lord," Minos said "whatever comes around that corner, you must kill it."

Nico nodded reluctantly.

The footstep got louder and louder until Nico was sure that the monster was only feet away from him. Nico turned swiftly around the corner and came face to face with another demigod. He was a boy a few years older with Nico in greek armor with a black cape and sword. He looked on edged too, but when he saw Nico, the boy smiled with relief.

"Who are you?" the boy asked.

"Nico," Nico said.

"I'm Jared." he said extending his hand. "How long have you been down here?"

"Kill him," came a whisper in Nico's head. He turned, but found no one. Minos was gone.

Nico shook his head. "No," he tried to whisper without Jared noticing.

"Do it," the voice came again. It was Minos's voice Nico decided.

"You ok?" Jared asked Nico who had brought a hand up to his head. "Do need some nectar or ambrosia? My boss will be mad at me for wasting it, if I live that is, but I can just say I got in a fight or something."

Nico shook his head. There seemed to be a buzzing his head splitting it open along with Minos's repeated requests for him to kill Jared. He clutched his head a sunk to the floor. _"You alway were weak. I can see that. You can't even do this one simple task can you?"_ Minos yelled inside his head.

"Leave me alone!" Nico screamed grabbing his head and shaking it as if he thought that he could shake out Minos taunts and the loud buzzing. It felt like his head was being drilled open and rocks were being shoved inside. Nico whined loudly and tried to block out the pain, but it only got worse. _"Your sister would have done it. Percy has done it. Are you saying that you're weaker than Percy Jackson? Of course I knew you were a freak, but really this is taking a little too far. Look at yourself. You're terrified of everything including yourself."_ Minos continued on and his words hit too close to home for Nico. He really was weak for not even being able to hate his sister's murderer properly. The pain in his head kept on getting worse and worse as Minos continued to yell at him and Nico's vision turned blurry. He cried out in pain and frustration but the torture continued.

"Seriously, man, you're freaking me out," Jared said squatting down to Nico. "You're hurt. Let me help you."

He was close, so close. Close enough that Nico could hear his heartbeat even through all of the buzzing and insults. His head was unprotected. .He was an easy target. Nico's blurry vision focused on the hand Jared had put on his shoulder. So close. Close enough to touch. Close enough to kill. The idea was only in Nico's head for a fraction of a second, but that was all the time it took.

Nico's mind went blank and a rushing sound filled his ears. Before he knew what he was doing, he'd tackled Jared. He heard a loud crack from Jared's arm as he fell on top of it. The broken bone poked out of the hole in his skin and blood spurted everywhere hitting Nico and the walls. Nico raised the rock in his hand and him in the head. Another sickening crack rang out through the buzzing in Nico's ears. This one was Jared's skull. He was dead, but Nico couldn't stop his hand. He hit Jared over and over again with the blunt rock. Blood sprayed all over Nico getting on his face, his fair, and even in his mouth. Minos laughed evilly in Nico's head he swung the rock into Jared's head over and over again, but be didn't register it. Nico's mind was shut off from reasoning and only focused on bringing the rock down. Again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again…

 **AN: Sorry. Please don't kill me.**


	4. Can We Just Forget That Ever Happened?

**AN: Last chapter. Yeah, I know, but I said it was going to be short.**

Leo had been walking in the dark for hours. This was, beyond a doubt, the strangest sewer he'd ever been in. A few yards into it, the entire floor had completely seemingly randomly, changed into mosaic tile that gave off a faint glow. Leo had looked at as well as he could in the semi darkness. It seemed to be pictures of the Greek gods.

Leo shook his head. That didn't make any sense. The mosaics looked so old, but they couldn't be genuine. He was in America, not Greece. Greek God had never been a thing here. And even if, at some point, Greek gods had made a comeback in the last few years, why would someone spend so much time making mosaics of them only to hide them in a sewer? Leo was intrigued by them. They felt important to him. This had something to do with him, but Leo couldn't figure out what.

That was only the beginning of it. Leo was utterly confused by the strangeness of it all as he sat down in what looked like a steel tube, the walls had been changing every few feet. He didn't like being in this place as much as it interested him. It gave him the creeps. Leo got the distinct feeling that he shouldn't be here, he should leave, but he couldn't. The cops would be looking for him by now; he couldn't leave yet. Leo decided that he's stay one day in here and then he'd find a way out. It didn't matter how good of a hiding place this was, he didn't like it. Leo laid down on the steel floor and tried to get comfortable. He hated this part of running away, but the freedom more than made up for it.

Leo didn't have any nightmares that night. Instead he dreamt that he was in a graveyard hiding behind a willow tree. Leo looked around, but he had no idea where he was. He'd never been to, or even seen a picture of it before. Leo noticed another boy behind another tree a couple feet away from him. He was in pajamas and his black hair was extremely tangled. Around his neck was some kind of leather necklace with a couple wooden beads on it.

"Hey!" Leo called out, but the boy didn't seem to notice him. "Hello?" Leo called again, but the boy seemed to be unable to hear him. He was looking straight ahead and seemed to be pretty interested in whatever was out there.

Leo turned to find another, younger boy in a black cloak standing by a freshly dug grave, but that wasn't interested him. What was much more notable were the two ghosts that seemed to be talking the boy. One of them was on old guy in a toga. The other was a kid about Leo's age in Greek armor.

Leo strained his ears, but he couldn't make out what any of them were saying. The boy in armor seemed to be explaining something to the boy in the black cloak, but he seemed to be nervous. He kept shaking his head at the other two. The boy in the cloak was obviously in charge. He was scowling, but he seemed to be annoyed at the other ghost. The older ghost also seemed annoyed at the boy. He kept saying something only to be cut off by the boy. What was going on? The boy next to Leo seemed to be having no problems following the conversation. His dream connection must be better than Leo's.

As he watched, the older ghost began to glow with a light so blinding Leo had to shut his eyes. He turned away from it, but the light only got worse through his eyelids. Leo had never known what it was like to be burned, but he guessed that this is what it must feel like. His eyes felt like they would explode, or burn up, or a combination of the two. Leo covered his eyes with his hand and tied to shield himself from whatever the ghost was doing.

He woke with a start in the tunnel. Leo looked around anxiously as if he thought that the ghosts would pop up at any moment. His heart calmed down when Leo confirmed that he was alone in the tunnel. Still, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and Leo his jacket fluttered in a wind that shouldn't be there. He decided that it didn't matter what it time it was, Leo had to find a way out of here. He grabbed up his bag and set off in search of an exit. Any exit.

It was hours before he found something that even remotely resembled one, but by that time, he didn't care. Leo had almost been killed twice. The first time was by almost falling into a pit that seemed to stretch downwards forever. He'd immediately turned and gone the other way. Roughly fifteen minutes later, Leo had been walking around a corner when an ax had swung out of nowhere. Only his quick reflexes had saved him. At this point, Leo was willing to try anything that looked like a door.

Leo climbed out of the weird tunnel and blinked in the bright daylight. He looked around trying to see where he had come out in the city, but nothing looked familiar. Seriously, nothing. The street signs were different. So was the layout of the city and the weather was even different from when he'd gone in last night. What was going on? Leo knew it wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever done, but he walked into the nearest store. He had to find out where he was.

Today's newspaper caught Leo eye. More specifically, his picture on the back of it. It was hard for Leo to read the headline because of his dyslexia, but he thought it said something along the lines of "Runaway still eludes police". That couldn't be right. How could they already have his picture in the paper? He'd only left last night. Leo knew it took more than a day to get something published. Then he noticed the date. It was two weeks later than it had been yesterday. How could that be? He'd spaced out before, but Leo was sure he'd never done it longer for a couple minutes before. This was impossible. As impossible as, well, as a kid with fire powers.

Leo put the paper back and turned to leave, but was stopped by the store owner.

"Aren't you that runaway from 6 states over?" he asked.

Leo gaped at him. "Six states?" he asked. This was even more impossible. His day just kept getting weirder and weirder.

"Yeah, you are," the store owner said. He picked up his phone to call the police, but Leo, realizing what was happening, ran out the door before anyone could stop him. Things weren't looking good.

Leo was sitting handcuffed in the back of a police car thirty minutes later. He was going back. To the same house or a different one, Leo didn't know. It didn't matter. He was caught again. I was his last chance. Again. Leo didn't want to go back. He was just going to run away again. He didn't belong in any foster home. He didn't belong anywhere.

* * *

Nico's hands were shaking and bloody. There were cuts on them from where his skin had torn on Jared's skull. Slowly, Nico came to his senses realized what had happened. Jared was laying on the floor with a sizable head wound bleeding all over the floor. A look of shock was frozen on his face. He'd been taken completely by surprise. He hadn't even draw his sword.

Nico dropped the rock and the clatter seemed magnified in the quiet corridor. Nico felt dizzy. He tied to stand up, but doubled over and was violently sick. It was a mark of how little he'd eaten that the only thing he threw up was stomach acid.

"Are you alright, my lord?" Minos asked coming out of nowhere to stand behind Nico.

Nico shook his head. He wasn't even close to alright. "I did this," he whispered. He looked at his hands. They were covered in blood. Some of it was his, but most of it was Jared's. It dripped off his fingers and pooled on the ground in scarlet tears.

"It needed to be done," Minos said firmly. "He was a spy for Kronos. He was going to die sooner or later anyway."

Nico didn't feel any better, but he nodded. Jared hadn't seemed evil, but he'd worked for Kronos. That made him evil by extension. That made it ok, right? Minos seemed to think so. Nico wanted to believe it too, but he couldn't. Jared had been a person. He'd been kind to Nico even though he's seemed crazy at the time. Maybe he had been. He hadn't deserved to be killed like that. No one did.

Nico cast out his mind a searched for Jared's soul. After a moment, he found it at Charon's ferry. It seemed confused, betrayed, and angry. All very human emotions. Ones that Nico had felt extensively over the last few days.

"We need to hurry, my lord." Minos said. "You do want a second opinion after all."

Nico swallowed hard. "Yes," he said.

This time, Nico managed to stand up. He looked down. His winter coat was covered in blood, and Nico could feel it on his face. Nico tore the coat off and threw it on the floor. He didn't want to be covered in blood, not because he was a hemophobe*, but because it made him feel revolting. Nico knew he should feel bad and was slightly relieved to when he did. It would be completely crazy to feel nothing. What kind of person can murder someone else and just go "whatever"?

Nico shivered in the cold tunnel.

"My lord," Minos said "You should take the sword."

Nico shook his head. It wasn't his. Besides, he didn't want to kill anyone ever again.

"Do it," Minos said.

Nico winced. The buzzing was back. "Are _you_ doing that?" he asked.

Minos just smiled. "Take the sword, Nico."

Nico glared, but he was terrified of snapping again. Reluctantly, he reached out his hand and undid the scabbard's straps. He grimaced as more blood got on his hands. After a moment, Nico pulled the sword away from the lifeless body. He pulled it out of scabbard. It was four feet of jet black metal and very sharp. It seemed dark. Just like him. Nico still didn't like the idea of taking it from Jared, but he couldn't deny that it felt right in his hand. Nico placed the scabbard next to Jared.

Minos raised an eyebrow.

"I don't need it," Nico said. He didn't want to take everything. He really didn't want to take anything. He'd never felt so unworthy of something in his life. After a minute of consideration, Nico bent down and took the black cloak too.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He needed the cloak though. He needed to hide the fact that he was covered in blood until he could clean himself off, and he didn't want to freeze either.

"Ok, let's just get out of here," Nico said to Minos.

Minos agreed, and the two of them set off down the hallway. Nico didn't look back. He couldn't. Instead, Nico turned off his brain as much as he could and focused on his footsteps tap out a steady rhythm in the dark of the Labyrinth.

The End

 ***Hemophobe: Someone with a fear of blood.**


End file.
